


Finders, Keepers

by JustSomeGirlWriting



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 12:23:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20892065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustSomeGirlWriting/pseuds/JustSomeGirlWriting
Summary: It's never been easy to get Malcolm to take care of himself. Its even harder to get him to let others take care of him. Luckily, Ainsley's up for the challenge.Ainsley POV.A continuation of my precious fic, 'Lost and Found, Mostly'. It might work better to read that one first, but I think it can stand alone reasonably well.





	Finders, Keepers

As she made her way into her favorite coffee place, Ainsley ran through her mental to do list for the afternoon. 

_Conference call with the network heads, prep for my interview with the deputy mayor, send in the first draft for this month's column, go to my yoga session... But, first and foremost: check on Malcolm._

It had been a week since he'd been taken, five days since Gil and his team had found him in the kidnapper's lair. She'd been out of state covering an incoming hurricane when the call came that her brother had been kidnapped. Then, the very same storm she'd been reporting on had kept her from flying back to the city until after he'd been found.  
To say that she felt guilty would have been an understatement. Her brother was kidnapped and hospitalized and she was in the wind, literally. Since her return to the city, she'd made it a point to visit Malcolm every day, first in the hospital and then at his loft. Any attempts to convince him to stay at her place while he recovered, had proven fruitless. Hardly a surprise, but a disappointment nonetheless. She'd decided that daily visits with much needed treats were the next best thing.

When her turn came at the counter, Ainsley ordered her own skinny latte with an extra shot and her brother's decaf americano. Under most circumstances, Ainsley considered the very concept of decaf coffee to be sacrilegious, but for her brother, she encouraged it. He hardly needed to overload his already thinly-stretched nervous system with any kind of chemical stimulant.  
After putting in their lunch order (grilled veggie salad for her, extra large avocado, kale and banana smoothie, minus the mint, minus the ginger for Malcolm and his delicate sensibilities) Ainsley stood off to the side as the staff got to work.  
She scrolled through her phone, answering an email or two before her name was called and she gathered the to go bags.

A short cab ride later, Ainsley stood in front of Malcolm's building, finger on the buzzer.  
After a moment, her brother's tinny voice came over the speaker.

"Hey, Ains. Come in."

The door swung open as Ainsley sighed and entered. Even through the crappy intercom speaker, she could tell that her brother sounded exhausted.  
She wondered whether he'd slept even three consecutive hours since he'd been released from the hospital. Malcolm had not been forthcoming about what had happened during his two day captivity, but she had gotten him to reveal that he'd been kept drugged up and unconscious through most of it. For her brother with his awful nightmares, that would have been nothing short of torture. And she hadn't been even there when he'd first woken up. God.  
Ainsley steeled herself as she walked up the steps leading to the loft. _'No use crying over spilled milk,'_ she thought inwardly, _'you're here now and you brought him an organic smoothie.'_

Malcolm greeted her at the top of the stairs, barefoot and dressed in grey sweatpants and a maroon Harvard hoodie that looked to be about three sizes too big.

Ainsley pulled him in for a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug.  
Even in those split seconds, the bag of food and coffee somewhat awkwardly pressed between their chests, she could feel his ribs protruding through the soft jersey of his sweater. Not good. Not good at all.  
She let go and made her way to the kitchen island, chatting as she went.

"So, I got us lunch! Don't worry, I know your teeth are still a mess. I got you a smoothie: avocado and kale, no mint or ginger, just the way you like it."

Ainslet set the bag down before turning to grab plates, cups and cutlery, effortlessly finding her way through her brother's cabinets. 

She filled two glasses of water at the fridge before returning to the island and setting them down, sitting down on a bar stool and patting the one next to her.

Malcolm joined her and unpacked their lunches, handing Ainsley her salad and drink before unwrapping his paper straw and taking a tentative sip of his smoothie. 

"Thanks, Ains. This is really nice."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. But, Malcolm, please tell me this isn't the first thing you're eating today?"

"It's not, actually. I had a banana earlier," Malcolm said, sounding mildly affronted.

"A whole banana? No way! I'm surprised you even have an appetite left for that smoothie. I didn't bring you that yoghurt and those Soylent bottles just to decorate your fridge, you know?"

Her brother chuckled at her sarcastic tone.

"I don't have much of an appetite on my best day, Ains, you know this. And these haven't exactly been my best days, lately."

His tone was light, but his words still hit Ainsley with a heavy impact. Much as she wanted to cheer her brother up, none of this was anywhere near cheerful.

"I know. I'm sorry, I don't mean to pressure you, I know you're trying. But you're my brother and I love you and I'm worried. I just need you to take care of yourself."

Malcolm's gaze shifted downward and as he set down his drink, Ainsley noticed his hands were shaking. 

"I know," he sighed, his tone low and grave, "it's just hard. I haven't been able to sleep much, or eat much. I'm just jittery, I guess. I keep thinking that he's going to come back and grab me and..."

Malcolm cut himself off.

"Sorry. That was dark. You know me, I get maudlin when I'm tired. Anyway, I have that dentist's appointment tomorrow, to see what they can do about my messed up teeth. Should be a big improvement, getting those fixed. I could introduce apples back into my diet!"

Ainsley saw right through her brother's attempt to change the subject, but she couldn't let him get away with it. Not this time, not when it was about this. She leaned in, put a hand on his shoulder.

"Is that what you're scared of? That guy taking you again? Are they any closer to catching him?"

Malcolm shrunk in on himself, averting his eyes as he moved to sit on his hands. 

"I know it's probably irrational. They have a protective detail watching my place and besides, I doubt the guy was stupid enough to stick around for long after the police found his cabin. But yeah, they still don't know where he is and the thought of him coming back... It's not... Not great."

_'Understatement of the century,' _Ainsley thought to herself, then: _'do something, help him through this!'_

"I bet Gil's got some of his best people on that detail. He wouldn't let anything happen to you, okay?"

Even as Malcolm nodded in agreement, Ainsley though bitterly (and perhaps unfairly):_ 'But he already did let something happen to you: he never should have let you go meet with that psycho in the first place!'_

"I hate to sound like a broken record, but have you considered talking to your therapist again?"

"I did call her office, actually. She's on a leave of absence, she'll be back next month. I really don't think it's worth the effort to look for someone new in the interim. Most of their waiting lists tend to be longer than that."

_Another item for the to do list: look for a decent therapist willing to accept a generous sum to let my brother skip in line._

"Hmm. Okay, I guess we'll need to focus on your physical health for now, then. What time is that appointment with the dentist tomorrow?"

"At four p.m., why?"

"Because I'm coming with, obviously! They'll have to numb you up and we both know that you tend to have weird reactions to that kind of thing. I'll take you there and home and we can watch a movie and have takeout on the couch after! I've been dying to see that new Chris Evans Netflix thing! Movie night!"

Malcolm seemed reluctant at first but he couldn't suppress a smile at her energetic enthusiasm. Ainsley knew her brother well enough to be able tell that she was winning. 

"That would be nice, actually. But aren't you busy?"

"Not too busy for you! Or for Chris Evans, for that matter!"

Ainsley smiled, ruffling Malcolm's hair. The deputy mayor wouldn't be pleased that the interview would be postponed, but he'd have to deal with it. Family first.

**Author's Note:**

> So... My first attempt at writing Ainsley. I hope you think it worked out.


End file.
